I am woman. I am feminist. I am pro-life. To many my identities are contradictory but I have come to hold my pro-life views following much careful contemplation. I have looked to both sides of the debate, and this is …
Everyone on my master’s is awful
My English MPhil class seems happier to defend straight white men against accusations of racism, homophobia and other intolerance than address uncomfortable prejudices head on.
Going into my English MPhil course, I expected to find myself surrounded by people who were excited about and interested in popular literature, popular culture and contemporary debate. I hoped to spend each class discussing the high/low culture divide critically …
How I came to terms with my sins
Even when we leave our Catholic faith behind, the old moral preoccupations and worries often remain.
Pope France was pontificating recently about the number of Catholics who were sinning every day. The sin that bothered him this time was disrespect of the elderly. Neglecting the elderly can have “hellish” effects, he warns. My initial thought after …
Open letter to the CSC: you were wrong to allow Kamal El Mekki speak on campus
Dear Central Societies Committee,
On February 25th, you allowed Trinity College to play host to the radical Islamic preacher Kamal El Mekki. As a former Muslim, I am outraged that a man who is an advocate for the killing of …
Kant or coffee: the value of procrastination
Can the true value of university education ever come exclusively from the classroom? Or is a certain amount of frivolity necessary in order to fully develop your thoughts, opinions and express them coherently?
As I flop over delicately in my bed, the sunlight lightly caresses my face and my skin tingles with anticipation of another delightful day as a student in Trinity College Dublin. I gather my thoughts and manoeuvre myself out of …
Human cost of political strategies
Iran’s middle-class liberal youth, who are the spring of hope for the emergence of any type of secular progressive Iranian state, are having their futures crippled by the international community.
Our author travelled to Iran in 2014, but wishes to remain anonymous due to government restrictions on journalists and visas.
Karaj is a large wealthy suburb of Tehran. Officially, due to the latest redrawing of boundaries, Karaj is actually the …
I could be anyone: the aftermath of rape
An anonymous student describes the impact of sexual assault.
Having only been in Dublin a few short months, I still naively thought that I was going to leave this county in four years with a university degree and nothing else. Maybe that’s why I didn’t think twice before opening …
What I’m really thinking: the college student at the graduation ceremony
This hat is ridiculous. Wandering around Front Square in gowns; well done Trinity, fighting the stereotype since 1592. Right now, embarrassment is the overriding emotion. It’s nerve-wracking, filing up the steps in front of all these people (trying not to …
Sex, drugs and street parties in Tehran
It’s 2:30am when the shrieks and car horns fill the air. Completely awake, I lie on the floor waiting for the noise to die down, unsure of whether or not I should get up and look out the window. The …
What I’m really thinking: the sexual harassment target
To all the ass-grabbers, the boob-grazers, the ones who undress me with their eyes: I hate you.
I hate you for what you have forced me to become. I am now the woman who wears flat shoes on a night …